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I'm rooting for this guy because he grew up in my hometown of Johnstown, PA and I know him and his family
BY MIKE MASTOVICH
The Tribune-Democrat
Andrew Hawkins will be playing football on television each week for more than two months.
The Bishop McCort graduate isn’t on a NFL roster. Though he hopes his air time will enable him to beat the odds and earn a spot in the Dallas Cowboys training camp this summer.
Hawkins is one of 12 finalists on the reality television show “4th and Long” hosted by former Cowboys receiver and Pro Football Hall of Famer Michael Irvin. The show’s winner will be among the 80 players on the Cowboys’ training camp roster, though sticking with the NFL team or the practice squad will be an entirely different challenge for the “4th and Long” representative.
“It was crazy. I was watching something about it one day on ESPN,” said Hawkins, who played collegiately at Toledo.
“One of my friends from college told me he was going to an open call to try out for the show. My schedule was too tight. I put together a DVD and sent it in. I figured it was a long shot to get on the show with a DVD but I was lucky.”
The reality show was more business than pleasure.
The players lived six weeks in the Cotton Bowl, the stadium originally used by the Cowboys when the team joined the NFL in 1960. They resided in locker rooms converted into dorms. Six wide receivers are on one side and six defensive backs on the other. Each time a player is cut, the living quarters expand through attrition.
A typical day includes multiple meetings, workouts, sprints, drills, weight lifting and practice. Players are privy to only one TV in the weight room and one in the living quarters. Cell phones, laptop computers and iPods are prohibited. It’s a sheltered life.
“It was the hardest camp I’ve ever been a part of. No question,” said Hawkins, whose older brother Artrell Hawkins played nine seasons as a NFL defensive back with Cincinnati, Carolina and New England. “That includes high school, college and even when I went to camp with the Cleveland Browns. Being under Michael Irvin was a dream come true. Being one of his understudies every day and picking his brain, he’s such a football fanatic. You could see it. You realized how hard of a worker he was. I hope a little bit rubs off on me and helps in my career.”
At 5-foot-8, Hawkins has been a longshot at each level of the game. But he’s done his best to prove the doubters wrong.
He starred at McCort and had a solid Division I career at Toledo, where he was the Rockets’ first two-way player in 40 years. He played wide receiver, cornerback and special teams as a senior. At Toledo’s pro day showcase for NFL scouts, Hawkins ran a 4.34-second 40-yard dash and had a 38-inch vertical jump last spring.
No NFL teams came calling, though Hawkins was invited to a Cleveland Browns minicamp last year.
Now, he has an opportunity to become a reality TV celebrity. If he’s the chosen one, he’ll more importantly land in an NFL training camp.
“I can’t really go into detail but it will be entertaining,” said Hawkins.
“4th and Long” debuts May 18 on Spike Network. New episodes will run every Monday, with the 10th and final installment airing about one week before the Cowboys open camp in San Antonio. The winner was determined in mid-April.
“I want to see him succeed, I want to see the show succeed, I want to see the Cowboys succeed,” Irvin told NFL.com, referring to the show’s winner. “I want it to be the ministry I hope it is, that people see it and get inspired by it. I want all of it.”
Irvin impressed Hawkins, not only because he is among the elite and most flamboyant wide receivers to play in the NFL.
“The thing that surprised me most, I had this image going in that he was a flashy player and a guy who was very confident in himself,” Hawkins said. “What I didn’t know about Michael Irvin is how hard of a worker he was in the NFL.”
Hawkins said the fast pace and unpredictability during taping of “4th and Long” made life at the Cotton Bowl very interesting.
“The element of surprise was the show. We had no clue of what was coming up,” he said. “You’re living every day of your life and every second and you have no clue what is going to happen next. That was the biggest adjustment. Reality life is a different lifestyle, and probably not one I would recommend for everybody. But it was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. Definitely, I have no regrets.
“I’m more than satisfied with the way I performed. As long as I’d give 150 percent in everything I’d do I’d be satisfied. I gave 150 percent.”
Andrew said he received plenty of support from his tight-knit family, including his football-playing brothers Artrell, California (Pa.) graduate Avery, and Wayne Jones, who is at Pitt.
Artrell Hawkins, who became a radio broadcaster after his retirement, will co-host a premiere party for Andrew on Saturday in Pittsburgh, two days prior to the show’s debut. Andrew will receive his marketing degree from Toledo next Sunday, making this stretch three of the biggest days of his young life.
“It’s a good opportunity for him. He’s very persistent. He works very hard,” Artrell Hawkins said. “This is going to give him an opportunity to showcase his skills and his mind-set to never accept what people say. He won’t take no for an answer. He’s been told no all his life. His size has been an issue. He’s been injured. He just keeps finding ways to showcase his abilities and try to live out his dream to keep playing football.”
McCort coach Ken Salem has seen Andrew Hawkins’ determination and work ethic first hand. While he might not have envisioned Andrew as a reality TV type, Salem is certain Hawkins represented himself and his hometown well during the taping.
“Nothing that Andy does surprises me,” Salem said. “He sets a goal and he doesn’t stop working until it gets done.”
Andrew Hawkins will tune in when “4th and Long” opens. He didn’t say how he fared in the competition.
“I try to keep myself in shape at all times. You never know what opportunity is going to come,” Hawkins said. “I’m a Christian. I always believe that no matter what my situation is currently, God has something planned out. I think it was a blessing when they called me for this show.”
BY MIKE MASTOVICH
The Tribune-Democrat
Andrew Hawkins will be playing football on television each week for more than two months.
The Bishop McCort graduate isn’t on a NFL roster. Though he hopes his air time will enable him to beat the odds and earn a spot in the Dallas Cowboys training camp this summer.
Hawkins is one of 12 finalists on the reality television show “4th and Long” hosted by former Cowboys receiver and Pro Football Hall of Famer Michael Irvin. The show’s winner will be among the 80 players on the Cowboys’ training camp roster, though sticking with the NFL team or the practice squad will be an entirely different challenge for the “4th and Long” representative.
“It was crazy. I was watching something about it one day on ESPN,” said Hawkins, who played collegiately at Toledo.
“One of my friends from college told me he was going to an open call to try out for the show. My schedule was too tight. I put together a DVD and sent it in. I figured it was a long shot to get on the show with a DVD but I was lucky.”
The reality show was more business than pleasure.
The players lived six weeks in the Cotton Bowl, the stadium originally used by the Cowboys when the team joined the NFL in 1960. They resided in locker rooms converted into dorms. Six wide receivers are on one side and six defensive backs on the other. Each time a player is cut, the living quarters expand through attrition.
A typical day includes multiple meetings, workouts, sprints, drills, weight lifting and practice. Players are privy to only one TV in the weight room and one in the living quarters. Cell phones, laptop computers and iPods are prohibited. It’s a sheltered life.
“It was the hardest camp I’ve ever been a part of. No question,” said Hawkins, whose older brother Artrell Hawkins played nine seasons as a NFL defensive back with Cincinnati, Carolina and New England. “That includes high school, college and even when I went to camp with the Cleveland Browns. Being under Michael Irvin was a dream come true. Being one of his understudies every day and picking his brain, he’s such a football fanatic. You could see it. You realized how hard of a worker he was. I hope a little bit rubs off on me and helps in my career.”
At 5-foot-8, Hawkins has been a longshot at each level of the game. But he’s done his best to prove the doubters wrong.
He starred at McCort and had a solid Division I career at Toledo, where he was the Rockets’ first two-way player in 40 years. He played wide receiver, cornerback and special teams as a senior. At Toledo’s pro day showcase for NFL scouts, Hawkins ran a 4.34-second 40-yard dash and had a 38-inch vertical jump last spring.
No NFL teams came calling, though Hawkins was invited to a Cleveland Browns minicamp last year.
Now, he has an opportunity to become a reality TV celebrity. If he’s the chosen one, he’ll more importantly land in an NFL training camp.
“I can’t really go into detail but it will be entertaining,” said Hawkins.
“4th and Long” debuts May 18 on Spike Network. New episodes will run every Monday, with the 10th and final installment airing about one week before the Cowboys open camp in San Antonio. The winner was determined in mid-April.
“I want to see him succeed, I want to see the show succeed, I want to see the Cowboys succeed,” Irvin told NFL.com, referring to the show’s winner. “I want it to be the ministry I hope it is, that people see it and get inspired by it. I want all of it.”
Irvin impressed Hawkins, not only because he is among the elite and most flamboyant wide receivers to play in the NFL.
“The thing that surprised me most, I had this image going in that he was a flashy player and a guy who was very confident in himself,” Hawkins said. “What I didn’t know about Michael Irvin is how hard of a worker he was in the NFL.”
Hawkins said the fast pace and unpredictability during taping of “4th and Long” made life at the Cotton Bowl very interesting.
“The element of surprise was the show. We had no clue of what was coming up,” he said. “You’re living every day of your life and every second and you have no clue what is going to happen next. That was the biggest adjustment. Reality life is a different lifestyle, and probably not one I would recommend for everybody. But it was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. Definitely, I have no regrets.
“I’m more than satisfied with the way I performed. As long as I’d give 150 percent in everything I’d do I’d be satisfied. I gave 150 percent.”
Andrew said he received plenty of support from his tight-knit family, including his football-playing brothers Artrell, California (Pa.) graduate Avery, and Wayne Jones, who is at Pitt.
Artrell Hawkins, who became a radio broadcaster after his retirement, will co-host a premiere party for Andrew on Saturday in Pittsburgh, two days prior to the show’s debut. Andrew will receive his marketing degree from Toledo next Sunday, making this stretch three of the biggest days of his young life.
“It’s a good opportunity for him. He’s very persistent. He works very hard,” Artrell Hawkins said. “This is going to give him an opportunity to showcase his skills and his mind-set to never accept what people say. He won’t take no for an answer. He’s been told no all his life. His size has been an issue. He’s been injured. He just keeps finding ways to showcase his abilities and try to live out his dream to keep playing football.”
McCort coach Ken Salem has seen Andrew Hawkins’ determination and work ethic first hand. While he might not have envisioned Andrew as a reality TV type, Salem is certain Hawkins represented himself and his hometown well during the taping.
“Nothing that Andy does surprises me,” Salem said. “He sets a goal and he doesn’t stop working until it gets done.”
Andrew Hawkins will tune in when “4th and Long” opens. He didn’t say how he fared in the competition.
“I try to keep myself in shape at all times. You never know what opportunity is going to come,” Hawkins said. “I’m a Christian. I always believe that no matter what my situation is currently, God has something planned out. I think it was a blessing when they called me for this show.”
